Book Review: Life with Kevin issue #1

Book: Life with Kevin issue #1 written, illustrated and colors by Dan Parent with ink by J. Bone and letters by Jack Morelli

Edition: Digital

Description:

Kevin's made his big move to the Big Apple! He's got his own place, he's starting his internship on the production team at a high-profile news channel -- Kevin's really got it all together... or does he? Will his first day in NYC be a dream come true or will the big city eat him alive? Kevin will learn one thing for sure: when it comes to city living, expect the unexpected!


Rating: 5 stars

Review:

I'm still not a fan of Kevin Keller's new look, it's the beard. I think it makes him look too scruffy but looks aside I enjoyed reading this first issue. After graduating from college, Kevin moved to New York City ready to make his mark in the world of journalism.

Even living in a slightly run down apartment doesn't lessen Kevin's excitement about living in New York. He's happy to be living on his own and following his passion taking an internship at one of the top news stations. Too bad things are not working out the same for Veronica Lodge, she is not happy working for her father at Lodge Industries nor living at home with her parents.

Perhaps talking with Veronica the night before wasn't such a good idea because waking up the next day for his first day of work was off to a terrible start. It was Murphy's Law at it's finest because his day seemed to get worse by the minute. Not only did he wake up late, his bathroom sink broke and had water flowing down into his neighbors' apartments. One good thing about this horrible situation, he did meet Chris, a new friend and possible love interest.

His troubles were far from over, they was just getting started which included Kevin being late to work. And once there, he found out the joys of interning, as in doing menial tasks. But I think the worst part for Kevin was finding out how much the news industry has changed. Gone are the days of hard hitting news now it's about reporting about celebrities. It's safe to say Kevin's first day at work was awful but a mishap while he was helping a TV chef was the saving grace that kept him from losing his job.

Returning home, he got two surprises, the first had him being invited to dinner with Chris and the second found him with an unexpected guest, Veronica, already in his apartment in desperate need of a place to stay.

I really like this first issue, Kevin might be a little older but he's still the same. He's now in his 20s and trying to figure out life as an adult and everything that entails. Although the writing has a slightly more grown up feel to it, there is still a lot of humor in it. With the way this ended, I can't wait to read the second issue because if Veronica is going to be his roommate (hopefully temporarily) she's probably going to bring a good amount of trouble and baggage (no doubt designer) with her.

The artwork, well more like the coloring was not what I was expecting. I think Dan Parent's artwork is great, it's what I think of as the classic Archie Comics artwork. But I guess I was surprised to see that the typical bright colors were gone. The coloring was mostly in blue, white, gray and black. The new coloring doesn't ruin the comic just something a little different.

As much as I enjoyed this I do have one issue and that's with Archie Comics in general. I'm disappointed that Life with Kevin is only available in digital form. Meanwhile, the new Archie, Jughead and Betty & Veronica series are all available in both digital and print edition. It doesn't make any sense to me.